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Every 49er free agent you run into wants to remain with the team. Safety Dashon Goldson told 95.7 The Game, he would be “shocked” if he wasn’t with the team next year. Guard Adam Snyder said he wanted to return and wide receiver Joshua Morgan is not only back sprinting after breaking his leg in October, he told A.P. he’s waiting anxiously for a 49ers’ offer.

Cornerback Carlos Rogers has said several times that he wants to continue as a 49er and we all know Alex Smith is waiting for what many believe will be a three-year deal in the $8 million to $11 million per range.

The team also seems eager to get back to work. It’s not even one week removed from the Super Bowl and players are buzzing in and out of the team facility for workouts, and that includes right tackle Anthony Davis. For the last two training
camps, Davis has finished last in the conditioning test according to sources.

When Davis arrived he got a big bear hug from Snyder.

The bottom line is potential free agents appear eager to re-sign and eager to once again put in the work to be successful. That combination leads one to believe that their agents will request reasonable offers that might even be slightly below market value.

Now the 49ers, who are $30 million under the salary cap, have to meet these players half way. There’s no reason the 49ers shouldn’t sign all or most of their key free agents (Smith, Goldson, Rogers, Snyder, Morgan, and Ahmad Brooks).

The team has cap space to do it and a willing, talented group who want to finish what they started last year.

The 49ers are doing their homework however. Coaches are now evaluating potential free agents in case they deem the contract demands of their own players as unreasonable. The team has pursued a no-nonsense approach to free agency, which includes their own players.

They set a price for a contract and if the player rejects it and another team offers significantly more, they let the player go and hope to replace him either through the draft or with a free agent signing late in free agency.

The trick for the 49ers is to assess the market correctly and extend offers that will be reasonable.